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Top Nations with Best Chocolates

No matter where you grew up, I can guarantee that in a ‘who makes the best chocolate’ debate you will defend your country’s confectionery with tooth and nail (especially tooth). Maybe it’s got something to do with nostalgia – after-school memories of snapping off a piece of chocolate, placing it on your tongue and seeing how long you could let it melt, or scoffing so much chocolate you felt sick and swore you’d never touch it again (as if!). Still, there’s no denying that chocolate varies dramatically depending on where in the world you are
It brings happiness, makes people smile and feel good. No, we’re not talking about love or romance. The greatest sweetness, the biggest delight: chocolate. If you’re a chocolate lover and a traveler at the same time, you should know what the best destinations for you are. That’s why here’s a list of countries producing the best in the world.

Belgium

Belgium has a reputation for chocolate and for good reason – there are over 2,000 chocolateries across the country, many of which still produce their chocolate by hand. The story of Belgian chocolate actually begins with Switzerland-born Jean Neuhaus, who opened an apothecary in Brussels in 1857 selling chocolate-coated medicines. But confectionery was Neuhaus’ real passion and the medicines soon made way for his sweet experiments. Clearly, chocolate ran in the family, as Jean’s grandson would later fill chocolate shells with fresh cream, inventing the praline.

Switzerland

A country like no other, has been producing chocolate since the 17th century, Ranking first in the best quality and third in quantity. Its two top brands are Nestle and Lindt. In 2000, approximately 54% of the country’s chocolate was consumed by the Swiss. Switzerland also has the highest per capita rate of chocolate consumption in the world, which is nearly 30 pounds per capita every year. The Swiss chocolate industry, as of 2005, produced gross revenues of approximately $14 billion. All this make Switzerland one of the three countries for the best chocolate.

The United States

America is the world’s biggest producer of chocolate. There are lots of excellent chocolate shops all across the United States, especially in New York City. One of the extraordinary things about American chocolate is many peanuts and almonds it contains. About 40% of America’s almonds are used as a chocolate’s ingredient. The largest manufacturer is Hershey’s. According to the regulations, Hershey’s products aren’t real, since they contain too much of vegetable fat, but they’re yummy nevertheless, and Americans love them. The company’s most popular product is a bar. Chocolate bars are doing great in America, and it’s not only about Hershey’s, but also such brands like Milky Way, Twix or Snickers.

Italy

Italy’s one of the largest manufacturers in the world. It’s fantastic both about quantity and quality. The most popular producer is Amadei, a company established in 1990. Their products are delicious. They buy cocoa directly from growers, without any help of brokers, so they know exactly who and how the beans grew – that’s one of the reasons Amadei’s chocolates are so good. Other well-known brands include Perugina Sutti, Venchi, and Ferrero. Moreover, Italians, just like the French people, make excellent pastries.

United Kingdom

To the British, chocolate means one thing and one thing only: Cadbury. The company started life selling tea, coffee and drinking chocolate in the 1820s, and the ‘Cadbury Brothers’ John and Benjamin supplied cocoa to Queen Victoria in the 1850s. But when the company went into decline, John’s sons, Richard and George, made the smart decision to focus on chocolate and introduced a superior quality cocoa to Britain from the Netherlands. In 1905, they developed the wildly popular Dairy Milk, securing Cadbury’s place in history. With a higher milk content than other chocolate bars (still reflected in the ‘glass-and-a-half’ logo), Dairy Milk became known for its creamy taste and quickly became the company’s best-seller. Today, Dairy Milk is sold all around the world. Nerve-tinglingly sweet, the British still can’t get enough of this stuff.